Alex Batty: Teen missing for six years found in France, authorities say
BBC NewsDec 27, 2023
The Facts
Alex Batty, the 17-year-old British boy who was found earlier this week in the foothills of the French Pyrenees after having been missing for six years, arrived back in the UK on Saturday, where he was reunited with his grandmother and legal guardian, Susan Caruana.
Delivery driver Fabien Accidini spotted Alex walking along a rural road overnight on Wednesday. He picked him up and took him to the police in Revel, near Toulouse.
The Spin
Narrative A
Alex was abducted by his own mother and grandfather and forced to live in an off-grid, nomadic community that had no school. While it's a relief that he has been able to find his way back home to get a normal life, authorities now must ramp up efforts to prevent the potential rise of sectarian movements within such communities.
Narrative B
It's outrageous, though not surprising that France is openly weaponizing this parental child abduction case against non-mainstream religious movements in a blatant attack on freedom of religion. As undemocratic and authoritarian as it seems, the French government wants to punish communities that don't organize themselves according to mainstream society.
